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US 12,151,878 B1Granted
Stitchless bulk bag including a baffle insert and method of production
AssigneeAmeriglobe, LLC
InventorsClifford Dunlap, Daniel Schnaars, Sr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A stitchless baffle bulk bag including one or more baffle inserts that are heat sealed to a bag body using a hot melt film. A baffle insert includes a plurality of lateral straps spaced in between longitudinal panels. Tabs extend from the longitudinal panels into the space between lateral straps, above and below the lateral straps. The hot melt film is applied to at least a portion of the longitudinal panel and to the tabs, which is then heat sealed to the body under heat and pressure of heat seal bars. A hot melt sealed tab on both sides of the strap extending beyond the pivot point of the strap counters the forces of peel encountered by the strap and/or by a heat sealed joint of the tab or longitudinal panel.
Claims22
A bulk bag comprising:
- a) a top portion;
- b) a body having an interior surface, and having a first side, a second side, a third side and a fourth side, and a first corner, a second corner, a third corner and a fourth corner, in an expanded configuration;
- c) a bottom portion;
- d) a baffle insert including:
- (i) at least a pair of longitudinal members with a plurality of lateral members spaced in between the longitudinal members;
- (ii) a plurality of tabs, each tab extending laterally away from one said longitudinal member and into a space in between two said lateral members or into a space above or below a said lateral member;
- (iii) hot melt film applied to at least a portion of an exterior surface of the pair of longitudinal members along a length of said longitudinal members;
- (iv) the hot melt film also applied to a tab exterior surface of each of the plurality of tabs;
- e) a joint formed between the interior surface of the body and the portion of the longitudinal members that includes the hot melt film and said joint formed between the tabs that include the hot melt film, wherein the joint is formed by applying heat and pressure to fabric of the interior surface, the hot melt film, the longitudinal members and the tabs;
- and
- f) wherein the baffle insert is positioned in the body so that it extends from the first side to the second side across the first corner with the lateral members positioned along a diagonal across the first corner when the body is in the expanded configuration.
8 more elements
A method of forming a heat-sealed baffle body portion that is stitchless, comprising the following steps:
- a) obtaining a body portion that is a tubular piece of flexible plastic fabric or polyester fabric and that has an interior surface, a first side, a second side, a third side and a fourth side, and a first corner, a second corner, a third corner and a fourth corner, and which has an expanded configuration;
- b) obtaining one or more baffle inserts that each include:
- (i) at least a pair of longitudinal members with a plurality of lateral members spaced in between the longitudinal members;
- (ii) a plurality of tabs, each tab extending laterally away from one said longitudinal member and into a space in between two said lateral members or into a space above or below a said lateral member;
- (iii) hot melt film applied to at least a portion of an exterior surface of the pair of longitudinal members along a length of said longitudinal members;
- (iv) the hot melt film also applied to a tab exterior surface of each of the plurality of tabs;
- c) folding the body portion into a body folded or gusseted configuration;
- d) folding the one or more baffle inserts into an insert folded or gusseted configuration;
- e) overlapping the body portion while in the body folded or gusseted configuration with the one or more baffle inserts while in the insert folded or gusseted configuration so that the hot melt film on the one or more baffle inserts is in contact with the interior surface of the body portion;
- and
- f) applying heat and pressure to overlapped layers formed in step (e) of the one or more baffle inserts and the body portion to melt the hot melt film and form a joint between the body portion and the one or more baffle inserts.
8 more elements
A stitchless baffle body portion comprising:
- a) a body that is a tubular piece of flexible plastic fabric or polyester fabric and that has an interior surface, a first side, a second side, a third side and a fourth side, a first corner, a second corner, a third corner and a fourth corner, and which has an expanded configuration;
- b) one or more baffle inserts made from a flexible plastic fabric or a polyester fabric that each include:
- (i) at least a pair of longitudinal members with a plurality of lateral members spaced in between the longitudinal members;
- (ii) a plurality of tab portions, each tab portion extending laterally away from one said longitudinal member and into a space in between two said lateral members or into a space above or below a said lateral member;
- (iii) hot melt film applied to at least a portion of an exterior surface of the pair of longitudinal members along a length of said longitudinal members;
- (iv) the hot melt film also applied to a tab exterior surface of each of the plurality of tabs;
- c) one or more heat sealed joints coupling the one or more baffle inserts to the interior surface of the body, wherein a said heat sealed joint comprises the following layers:
- (i) body fabric, hot melt, tab portion fabric;
- or
- (ii) body fabric, hot melt, longitudinal portion fabric;
- and
- d) wherein at least a portion of the plurality of lateral members are free and not coupled to the body.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.